Soft Spots
by Jiu-jitsu dude
Summary: Even the mightiest of dragons has a few soft spots here and there.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, Cr00cy pointed this contest out to me that Perfilles-Studio over at DeviantArt was putting on to come up with a Dragonslayer story based off their fanart (Cover Image). And what can I say? I'm weak for Dragonslayer, so here we are. If we win, I might ask for a cover picture for Analogies as a prize, since the artist likes the pairing. I suppose that means I'd have to write another chapter of Analogies...how would I live with the pain haha.**

 **To avoid confusion, this takes place in canon, not the 'Fighting' universe.**

 **Cr00cy is Chief Editor for Life**

* * *

 **Soft Spots**

Yang sighed as she walked out the back doors of the house into the fading light on the day. The talk with Blake had gone both better and worse than she had expected.

She was still pissed, and probably would be for a while. But seeing her friend alive and safe? It had somehow taken some of the sting out of it.

That, and the promise that she was going to beat the hell out of her partner the next time they sparred.

But for now, she needed a minute, and the house's gardens seemed like the perfect place.

She perked up when she heard a faint noise coming from the edge of the property. It sounded almost melodic, but she couldn't quite make out what it was. In the end, curiosity won out, and her feet began to carry her toward the sound.

 _Guess I can't make anymore jokes about 'curiosity and the cat' at Blake's expense._ She thought with a smirk.

She passed through the homes long abandon gardens, which still somehow had flowers in bloom, despite the weeds reaching out to strangle them, and made towards the tree line.

It was humming she realized. She couldn't make out the song, but she could tell that's what it was. A smile found its way to her lips as she reached the fence line, overlooking the edge of the hill the house sat on, and saw Jaune sitting atop the fence, legs gently kicking back and forth as he hummed along.

She leaned against the side of a small tree and listened, trying to place the song. It was sweet, but also…sad, in a way she couldn't quite describe.

She shook her head. It'd drive her crazy if she couldn't remember what it was. She crept closer to the knight, a grin spreading across her face as a plan took form. She waited until she was almost directly behind the boy before taking a deep breath and…

"WHAT YOU DOING LADYKILLER?"

Jaune squawked and leapt a foot in the air, struggling to maintain his balance on the fence as his head whipped around trying to find his attacker.

The howling laughter was a good hint as to their location.

He sighed as his eyes found her. "Dammit Yang!"

She continued to chuckle as she hopped up on the fence facing opposite the knight with an easy grace.

"It was funny." She argued.

"You almost gave me a heart attack." He complained.

"Then it would have been REALLY funny."

He rolled his eyes. "For you, maybe."

She poked him in the side, causing him to squirm away on the fence. "With only me out here to give you mouth-to-mouth? You would've loved it."

He chuckled. "I'm making it a personal goal NOT to have to have my heart stop to attract the ladies."

"That why you're out here? Working on those musical skills? You're going to have to step up your game from your serenade of Weiss." She teased.

He groaned. "Looking back, it might have been better if I DID have a heart attack during that one."

She laughed. "I think Weiss almost did. What is that song anyway? I can't place it."

He shook his head. "Just something I've been working on on the road here. Something to pass the time."

"Something for your Snow Angel?" She pointed a thumb back towards the house. "I can go get her if you want. This is probably your best shot, what with you being her knight in hoodie armor."

He smiled back at her. "I think I'll pass, I think the message has finally sunk in."

Yang hummed. "She does consider you a friend, you know?"

"I know." He shifted in place. "But, I really just came out here to think."

"About going to Atlas?" She asked.

He shrugged. "A little, but more about our time here." He sighed and looked out the steadily dipping sun. "This might be my last sunset in Mistral."

"You going to miss it?"

"More like…there's still things I wanted to do here. Things I needed to do here. Guess it's just another thing I missed out on."

She slugged him in the arm.

"Ow!" He cried, his hand coming up to rub his arm. "What was that for?"

She glared at him. "You've got to stop beating yourself up."

"Is that your job?"

She smirked. "Well yeah, but also, I can tell you from experience, it's not very productive." She sighed. "Besides, you did way more than I did."

He cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"Jaune, when Ruby decided she was coming out here, I couldn't even begin to think about going with her. I was broken, in more ways than one. But there you were, a knight in dingy armor, standing outside our door with your team, ready to go." She shook her head. "You were where I should have been, doing what I should have been."

"Yang-"

"No, it's ok, I've accepted it. It's…better now." She smiled at him. "Thank you Jaune, thank you for watching over her. I mean that from the bottom of my heart."

He smiled back. "What are friends for?"

"What about you? You had to be hurting pretty bad, you doing ok?"

He looked down. "Yeah."

She waited.

"Maybe...I don't know."

"I know the feeling." She commiserated.

He sighed. "I-I wanted to visit her folks, you know?" He swallowed. "I'm not even sure if they know for sure, what with the CCT going down."

She winced, she hadn't thought of that.

He continued. "I wrote a letter…I wrote a lot of letters, trying to get it right." He looked back to the sunset. "I finally just…forced myself to send one. They had to know. They deserved to know." He choked. "They deserved a lot more."

"We'll come back." She offered gently. "We'll all come back after Atlas."

He nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good." He gave her a weak smile. "Thanks Yang."

She patted him on the arm. "No problem Ladykiller."

He chuckled. "I guess it's better than Vomit Boy." He paused and considered her for a second. "How you holding up after the thing with your mom?"

She tensed. "Raven." She corrected tersely.

He winced. "Sorry, if you don't-"

She sighed. "No, I asked you. Fair is fair."

"That's not how it works Yang."

"I know, but…I kinda do want to vent."

He held out a hand for her to continue. "Vent away."

"It's just-" She hesitated. "I'm not sure how or why it hurts so much. She was never there, left when I was just a kid, so it's not like I really lost anything." She closed her eyes. "But at the same time, I-" She shook her head. "It felt like I was so close to having it work, like maybe she cared." She groaned. "I'm not making any sense."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think it have to make sense."

She laughed. "Words to live by?"

He smirked. "It's gotten me through so far."

She stopped at that, and looked at him, really looked at him. "Has it?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "What do you mean?"

She sighed. "Jaune, I saw you back at the academy."

"Yeah?"

She grabbed him by the collar, her eyes flashing red. "Are you out of your damn mind?"

"I-"

"That was suicide Jaune."

He scowled. "I was fighting Cinder."

"Suicide by proxy then. She was going to kill you. You've gotten better, but you know you're not that good. So, what were you thinking?"

He swallowed, eyes shifting as he looked for the words. "If-" He hesitated. "If I could just buy you guys enough time-"

"That's what that was? A last stand?!" She snapped.

"What would you have me do!?" He shouted back. "I wasn't a match for any of them Yang, never was, never will be. At least this way, we could get something out of it."

"Yeah, another dead friend!"

He shrank back at that. "It would have been worth it." He whispered.

She shook her head sadly. "Jaune…you can't really believe that. Can't believe that I believe that. That any of us believe that."

He sighed. "Yang, it's just the truth. It doesn't have to be nice. It's only thing I'm good for, taking those hits."

"Gods you're reinforcing the 'dumb blondes' stereotype." She groaned. "Jaune, do you think Ruby would have made it here without you?"

"Ren and Nora-"

"Wouldn't have been here without you." She cut him off. "What about Weiss, you think that fight would have gone better with her fighting Vernal AND Cinder?"

"I-"

"You think we could have sealed that wound? Jaune, it was over. I was sure we lost her." She smiled at him. "That was a miracle. You guys getting here was a miracle. Us winning at Haven was miracle. All ones that you had a hand in. You think that this fight is unwinnable without us? I think it's unwinnable without YOU."

He shook his head. "I think YOU'RE crazy." He said softly.

She smirked. "Careful now, you'll hurt a girl's feelings."

He raised an eyebrow. "The great Xiao Long? I hear she's invincible."

She hummed. "Close, but not quite. Got a few soft spots here and there."

He laughed as he looked out into the sunset once more. "I can't imagine what they migh-"

His mouth snapped shut as he felt a hand take his. He didn't dare look down.

"Like I said, a few here and there." She said. She closed her eyes. "Jaune?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Sing for me?"

He swallowed and nodded, slowly starting in on a one of his sisters' favorites.

"Look at that." She said softly. "Your heart didn't have to stop after all."

* * *

 **Man, it feels weird basically going back and having this happen again while I'm already writing about it.**

 **It maybe a little on the short side, but...'Fighting Smart' must march on. Hope you all enjoyed.**


	2. Omake

**Well folks, we won the competition. I can't thank you all enough for the support! What'd we win? A free art commission from the one and only, Perfilles-Studio! As promised, it'll go to making cover art for 'Analogies,' which will receive a new chapter as well, since we're all Dragonslayer fans here. Here's where you come in. Send me your ideas for what you'd like to see as the cover art for 'Analogies' (two characters, from the waist up, no NSFW), and we'll make it happen.**

* * *

 **Omake**

 **Other Soft Spots (idea courtesy of Demetrion)**

"You think we could have sealed that wound? Jaune, it was over. I was sure we lost her." She smiled at him. "That was a miracle. You guys getting here was a miracle. Us winning at Haven was miracle. All ones that you had a hand in. You think that this fight is unwinnable without us? I think it's unwinnable without YOU."

He shook his head. "I think YOU'RE crazy." He said softly.

She smirked. "Careful now, you'll hurt a girl's feelings."

He raised an eyebrow. "The great Xiao Long? I hear she's invincible."

She hummed. "Close, but not quite. Got a few soft spots here and there."

He laughed as he looked out into the sunset once more. "I can't imagine what they migh-"

His mouth snapped shut as he felt a hand take his. He didn't dare look down.

"Like I said, a few here and there." She said. She closed her eyes. "Jaune?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Where is your other hand?"

"Looking for soft spots?" He tried.

"That's my ass Jaune."

"Really? See? I'm learning things. I gotta tell you, this thing is a mystery. It's both soft and firm at the same time!"

"Yeah, I'm aware, it's MY ass."

He hummed, looking off into the distance thoughtfully. "You know, in a lot of ways, I feel like it's a good analogy for you in that sense."

"Thanks? I guess? That's pretty deep for someone groping my ass. Your hand is still there by the way."

"Yeah, I thought we were having a moment."

"Yeah, we WERE."

"Oh." He said, moving his hand from one cheek to the other. "What about now?"

She sighed. "Jaune, are you aware that by arm has a rocket-punch function?"

"That sounds terrifying."

"Doesn't it though? And yet, your hand is STILL there."

"I'm pretty committed at this point. Also, I no longer fear death."

"I admire your dedication. Also, dark."

"Sooooo…we good?"

"No! That's like…a date at a mid-tier restaurant territory at least." Her arm began to hum and whirl.

His eyes widened. "Oh shit, there's like an actual motor in there! How'd they manage to make that fit?"

"I imagine the same way it's about the fit in your chest cavity. Proper application of force." She glanced down. "Your hand is STILL THERE!"

"I regret noth-"

*THUNK*

* * *

"-une. Jaune wake up!"

He felt a hand slapping against his face, causing him to stir.

"Wha?" His eyes were hazy, trying to adjust, before widening in panic. "Ren, we overslept! Quick, get the pancake batter, I'll get the bowls! We don't have much time!"

Yang thumped him. "Yo, Hands McGee, you're safe. Well, safe-ish." She corrected.

He sat up, rubbing his aching head. "What happened?"

She tsked. "You made poor life choices, then you received a concussion, and then you had some sort of 'Nam flashback about Nora…I'd suggest seeing a life coach, a doctor, and a psychologist. In that order."

He stared off into the distance and shivered. "There's no man alive that can undo that kind of psychological damage. Why do you think Ren is so quiet?"

She smirked. "Oh? What about a doctor? We need to get you one of those?"

He shook his head and rapped his knuckles against it. "It's all pretty hard up here."

She laughed. "Yeah, I can see that."

He smiled back. "I can't help but notice we're working backwards. I thought that I needed a life coach first and foremost."

"Well, luckily for you, I am Yang Xiao Long, certified life coach. I believe my record speaks for itself." She said proudly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Isn't your track record Ruby and Blake?"

"Meh, you get what you pay for. Speaking of which, my first decree as life coach-"

"Ok, I don't think that's how life co-"

"Silence knave! My first decree as life coach is that you shall retroactively take me to a mid-tier restaurant!"

His forehead creased. "Like a date?"

She scoffed. "No! Now silence! Such insolence will not be tolerated again! It has been determined that the dress code for this daaa-life coach session will be smart casual."

"I literally have the clothes I'm wearing."

"The life coach says: fair enough."

"Are you speaking in third person? How hard did you hit me?"

"The life coach will speak as the life coach wishes! She says that she hit you as hard as you needed to be hit."

"Jaune Arc is confused."

"The life coach says that after dinner we will go for a walk, there will be small talk. If it goes well, the life coach will give you signals that you will probably miss, then and ONLY then, will hands touch asses."

He nodded. "I accept these terms."

"The life coach wasn't asking. You will pick me up at seven, but the life coach will not actually be ready till seven-thirty at the earliest."

"I'll be there at six-forty-five."

"The life coach says: you're learning."


End file.
